Friday, July 15, 2011

Summer

So it has been a while since my last post, but thankfully there has been lots going on. 
 
The Albericos came for a 2 week visit in May. 
Along with showing them all that Iwakuni has to offer, we took several day trips including to 3 Falls, Miyajima Island & Hiroshima as well as a long weekend to beautiful Kyoto. 
Adriana finally got to meet her Nona Jane and Grandpa Steve.
As well as her Tia Emily
The Albericos went all the way up to the Castle in Iwakuni and took this great family shot.
3 Falls was beautiful (& Slippery)
We ate some dangerous Oysters
& then took a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island where we encountered tons of shady looking wild deer. 
There were plenty of signs telling you not to touch them, but apparently that is not enforced. 
Emily was baffled by the deer.
Miyajima is know for its Oysters, Wild Animals (Deers & Monkeys) 
& Large Shrine that seems to float in the sea when the tide is high. 
]
Of course Paul found an Engrish T-Shirt
 & Jane made some friends on the ferry back,
When we got home we were exhausted so we napped
Next we were off to Kyoto
We stayed at the Hyatt which was awesome. 
Our room had a nice backdrop which made for a great photo shoot.
We did not have a bad meal in Kyoto. 
 The Crab was Super Fresh and Super Delicious!
This was the first craft micro brew we have encountered in Japan
We did lots of walking & sightseeing
 We also encountered lots of Japanese students eager to practice their English
Some with not so appropriate Engrish T-Shirts
On our last day, we decided to head out to a small town on the outskirts of Kyoto that is knows for its Ceramics & Ancient Kilns. 
The Town is also know for its Ballsy Fertility Bears
We were so happy to have the Albericos visiting us in Japan.
On the way back, Adriana & I tagged along with Jane & Steve and made the LONG trip back to Dallas.
First we took 3 Trains, including the famous Shin "bullet" train.
Then the long flight from Tokyo to Dallas. 
Thankfully Adriana was a trooper and slept most the way. 
(not a single tear was shed during the 18+ hours of travel)
 We finally made it to Dallas where we spent a great month visiting with friends & family.
While in Dallas, Adriana got 2 Teeth, Started Crawling 
& Started Saying Da-Da-Da & Ma-Ma-Ma
There are too many pictures to post of our Dallas trip, but here are some of my favorites.
The Abuelos
First Shopping Trip to North Park
Uncle Eddy
Tia Pam the Ham
Visiting Baby Reagan Williams
Visiting Nicole, Ella, Molly & Eli
Lisa & Sweet Drew Tilly
7 Weeks Vs. 7 Months
Padrino Ricardo
Peaches Baptizing Adriana in the Pool
Tia Gran
Tia Emily
Uncle Andy S.
Adriana got to meet a lot of the people who are important in our lives and while it really made us miss being closer to home, it also made us realize that we need to appreciate and take advantage of our last year in Japan because it will fly by. 
We also really missed these guys,
<3
N